


The Fall of Ba Sing Se

by malcolmn666



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, Bloodbending (Avatar), Episode: s02e20 The Crossroads of Destiny, F/M, Gen, Lu Ten (Avatar) Lives, lu ten is not great
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:34:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28499133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malcolmn666/pseuds/malcolmn666
Summary: Zuko and Katara are imprisoned together in the crystal catacombs and the battle that follows - but it's not the same story you know.Featuring a world where Lu Ten is alive, Iroh is recently Fire Lord, Jin is some sorta communist, and Zuko had to go about his banishment alone.
Relationships: Aang & Katara & Sokka & Toph, Aang & Katara (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula & Lu Ten, Jet & Katara (Avatar), Jet & Smellerbee (Avatar), Jet & Zuko (Avatar), Jin & Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 45





	The Fall of Ba Sing Se

**Author's Note:**

> hey this is definitely just this - idk if i will add to it, so I just wanna let you know, this starts off with zuko and katara in the caves, and ends not long after the battle. 
> 
> i hope it isn't too difficult to discern what has changed in canon before this point
> 
> warnings; probably pretty graphic violence, tho im not sure these days, can't really tell; f-word; jin is def some kinda leftist type im sorry that's just my headcanon; possible jinko????

“You’re a horrible person, you know that?”

Katara paced between the crystals, fists clenched at her side. Zuko still faced away from her, sitting cross-legged, his head slightly bowed. He remained silent.

“Trying to capture the world’s last hope for peace. How can you keep going, when I know you can see it? What the war has done to people? How can you just— _sacrifice_ them—”

She cut herself off, reaching for her throat abruptly.

“The war killed my mother, and sent all our men away. It destroyed our culture. I am the last Southern Waterbender. But you wouldn’t understand, would you? Destruction and murder is in your blood. And there are just... _so_ many monsters... _just like you_...you don’t know what it’s like, to have barely anything left.”

Katara blinked furiously, her back to him, clutching the pendant hanging around her neck.

“I’m sorry.”

His voice startled her, and she turned abruptly.

“I’m sorry about your mother, and your people. I never wanted that to happen.”

“But it did.” Her voice was quieter, but still lined with a razor. “Being sorry never stopped you from _doing_ anything.”

“You don’t understand.”

“ _I_ don’t _understand_? I think I understand perfectly well what this war is, and what it has done to _innocent people_! I understand _just fine_ what the Fire Nation is doing, and the type of people that can justify its actions—”

“Well, what was I supposed to do? Betray my country, my family? Is that what you would have done?”

Zuko had shifted to face her, his good eye glaring in her direction. Katara felt herself laugh.

“That’s the wrong question, Zuko,” she said, forcing a sneer onto his name. “The moment I knew they were wrong, that what they were doing was _evil—_ I would have left.” She stood before him, her arms crossed. “That’s the difference between me and you. I will always fight for what’s good in the world, and you’ll always defend the evil.”

“You don’t know _anything_ ,” he spat back, hunching over again. His knuckled were white, and he folded over himself, as if he was trying to block her out. “But what should I expect from some backwards _peasant_?”

Katara snorted. “ _Sure_ , Zuko. You’re the one here in an apron.”

When Zuko did not reply, she sighed, kicking around a few pebbles and crystal shards that littered the cave floor.

“...Why _are_ you in an apron?”

There was a long pause; Katara didn’t glance over her shoulder, and instead stared at the base of one of the crystal columns.

“...I was working at a tea shop.” His voice was little more than a rasp again. “In the Lower Ring. Ty Lee found me, and she got back to my sister and cousin before I could stop her.”

“Oh. So you weren’t—you aren’t working with them?”

“I didn’t even know they were here.”

Katara frowned.

“But why are you here, and not with them?”

“...Are you serious?” When Katara said nothing, Zuko continued. “Did you not see all the wanted posters? They’ve been trying to get me listed as a traitor for a while, but they ended up pinning the whole Siege of the Northern Water Tribe and Zhao’s death on _me_. But if I had the Avatar—”

He inhaled sharply.

“Azula and Lu Ten just don’t understand. If—if I can lift my banishment myself...I bet, _Uncle_ would listen, if I could just explain it to him.”

“There’s no way I’m ever going to let you capture Aang,” Katara said coldly.

“Well, there’s no way I’m ever going to give up my one chance of going home,” he snapped. “At least, in the end, you can go back to your stupid iceberg—”

Katara growled in frustration, throwing her arms from her side. Vaguely, she felt the pull of water _somewhere_ , but it was distant.

“Why do you even want to go back? It sounds like they don’t even want you there. You could do more good serving tea all day—”

“ _Don’t you dare_ talk about my family like you could _understand—_ ”

“How are you so _stupid_?” She cried out in frustration. In another cavern, something splashed, but she paid it no mind. “They banished you! _They banished you_ , and your sister and cousin _imprisoned you_ , and that’s not even taking into account _the war—_ and you _want_ to go back to them?”

“ _You don’t understand—_ ”

“ _Fine_! Then _make_ me understand, Zuko!”

The echoes of her voice faded by the time he answered.

“It was my fault,” he said. She couldn’t see his face, but he moved as if to wipe something away. “I disgraced myself and dishonored my family, and this is the only way I can redeem myself. I can’t— _it was my fault_.”

She took a calming breath. “What was your fault?”

“ _I don’t owe you that_.”

A hand rested on the scarred side of his face.

“Fine. But whatever it was, I doubt that _capturing the Avatar_ is the only way to make it right.”

“Oh, so I should go and help my sister torture the citizens here?” he suggested scathingly. Katara rolled her eyes.

“ _No_.” She bit her lip in thought. “But...an apology is usually the best place to start.”

“I did apologize,” Zuko muttered. “I begged on my knees, and it wasn’t enough.”

“Well, okay.” She started pacing again. “The thing is, unless you tell me, I have no ideas.”

“...It doesn’t matter. Capturing the Avatar is the only way I can return home.”

Katara groaned. “Okay, okay—say you do go home. _Then what_?”

“I...help my uncle and cousin rule the country?”

“You help them continue murdering people, you mean.”

“ _No_!” Zuko stood up, facing her. “I’ll help them end the war! I’ll— _I don’t know—_ usually minor princes end up as diplomats, or something, and I could do _that—_ ”

“And how do you plan on ending the war? By killing everyone?”

“ _No_! Agni, _no—_ ”

“Is the Fire Lord just going to take your word for it? Is he going to _listen_ to you, after your sister has Ba Sing Se in her clutches, and he has the Avatar in chains? If I was the Fire Lord, _why_ would I just—stop the war then? What does that even mean?”

“It’s not like your plan is any better!”

Katara wanted to pull her hair out.

“But it is! _It is_! The Avatar is meant to keep balance in the world. If anyone can bring peace, it’s Aang.”

“He’s literally a _child_.”

“A child you want to lock up!”

“I don’t— _I never wanted_ to—I just—”

“If you _really_ wanted to end the war and help people, you would join us,” she said, glaring at him. “You would teach Aang Firebending, and help us end the war without the Fire Nation burning everything to the ground.”

Zuko’s face contorted from his scowl to shock and then fury. If the temperature nearby rose several degrees, Katara opted not to notice.

“I’m not participating in the murder of _my_ people and _my_ family.”

“I never said _anything_ about murdering your people,” Katara started to say, but Zuko cut her off.

“I’m not an idiot. It’s war! Why wouldn’t the Avatar want revenge for the fate of his people? Don’t you remember what happened up North? _Thousands_ of men, left to drown or freeze to death in the arctic ocean—”

“That was different! That wasn’t Aang—that was the Ocean Spirit—”

“I won’t turn my back on my people or my family,” he said.

“But they already gave up on you,” she murmured under her breath. Zuko heard it, and she saw his eye widen before he quickly turned away. “You know...Aang never really gave up on you. He’s just kinda like that. He sees the good in everyone.” She hesitated. “He doesn’t want to hurt _anyone_. He would listen, if you would tell him what you’re worried about—and what the Fire Nation needs after the war. He won’t want revenge.”

“You can’t know that.”

“I know Aang.”

Zuko absently reached into one of his apron pockets, his finger poking through the hole.

“I barely even know _you_.”

Katara was about to reach out for his shoulder when the earth started to shake overhead. They moved toward each other, gazes turned up toward the crystals vibrating on the ceiling, when suddenly a tunnel was created on the other side of the cavern.

“Li? Li, are you down here?”

A girl in braided pig tails leapt down from the entrance, followed closely by a weedy-looking Earthbender, and then someone Katara had not expected to see again.

“ _Jet_?” She cried out, as the girl ran past her and embraced Zuko. Jet stared at her for a second before smirking, a piece of wheat dangling from his mouth. Smellerbee and Longshot jumped down after him.

“Katara? What are _you_ doing here?”

“You know him?” Zuko asked, trying to wriggle away from the braids girl.

“How do you know Katara, Li?” Jet stood between them, though noticeably closer to Zuko; at least he had some sense about who was the greater threat.

“She does,” Zuko cut in quickly, trying to plead with his gaze. “We, uh, we’ve crossed paths a few times—”

“You could say that,” she muttered under her breath.

“I saw them take you,” the other girl was saying, mostly to Zuko. “I went to Jet right away—and then we ran into Qing—oh, I’m so sorry, I’m Jin,” she said, smiling widely. “You’re Katara, right?”

“We don’t have time for this,” Smellerbee said, glancing over her shoulder. “We need to get out of here _now_.”

“But where are we even going to go?” the Earthbender asked. He was probably the youngest teenager there, nervously wringing his hands together. “The Dai Li probably saw us, and we know they already have a file on Li—”

“ _They what_?!”

“What did you expect, _honestly_ ,” Jet said almost calmly. “Especially after you nearly got caught at Lake Laogai that one time—”

“I wasn’t _caught_ , and anyway, what about _you—_ they fucking _arrested_ you—”

“Shut up, all of you!” Smellerbee shouted. “Qing, just get us back into the sewers, _now_.”

Qing yelped at the mention of his name, awkwardly saluted Smellerbee, and then jumped into a rigid stance. A new tunnel opened, and Smellerbee ran into it, holding up a shard of crystal.

Katara glared at Zuko one last time, but ultimately followed the teenagers into the tunnel, pressing her lips firmly shut. Zuko had the decency to look terrified, and let himself by dragged along by Jin.

“I really like your hair, by the way,” Jin said as the wall sealed behind them.

“Uh, thanks. I like your hair, too.”

Katara shuffled along in the darkness, nearly tripping a few times on the uneven ground. Smellerbee’s crystal acted as a dim lantern, but did little more than guide her general direction; aside from shifting shadows and green silhouettes, she couldn’t see her companions.

“We’ll just crash at Chen’s for a few days,” Jet told Smellerbee, who scoffed.

“They raided them three nights ago!”

“Yeah, so it should be fine, now.”

“We’re not going to Chen’s,” Zuko’s voice broke in angrily. “We all need to evacuate the city _now_.”

“Li, it’s okay,” Jin tried to assure him, “the Dai Li does these crackdowns now and then, and we always make it through—”

“It’s not the Dai Li I’m worried about! The Fire Nation is _here_!”

Jet swore, and the glowing crystal stopped in place.

“It’s true,” Katara pressed on. “Princess Azula and Prince Lu Ten are here in the city.”

“There are Fire Nation troops on there way here as we speak,” Zuko said.

“No! I’m not running,” Jet growled. “We’re going to Chen’s, and then we’re going to figure out how to keep those ashmakers _out_.”

“You’ll get yourself killed!” Zuko argued. “You have no idea what you’d be facing—”

“I’m not afraid of some fucking Firebender, Li— _”_

__

_“You should be_! Azula is _literally_ the most powerful Firebender in the world, aside from the Fire Lord himself—she can shoot you full of lightning—”

“I don’t care. I’d rather die fighting than live under the Fire Nation’s thumb.”

“Jet, please, I think Zu—uh, Li’s right,” Katara said. She could practically feel Zuko’s heart skip a beat at her near slip-up. “Aang isn’t even here. We can regroup in Chameleon Bay—that’s where my dad’s ships are.”

“You should go with Katara to her people, then,” Zuko interrupted before Jet could argue again. “All of you.”

“Why does that sound like you’re _not_ going, Li?”

“Because I’m _not—_ Azula and Lu Ten are after me, not you—”

“Why are they after you specifically?”

“Everyone, shut up! Qing, keep bending us a way to the sewers,” Smellerbee snapped. Jet huffed.

“Li, if we bothered to drag your sorry ass out of cave-prison, you can bet we’re not leaving you behind.”

* * *

“Well, there’s definitely nobody here,” Toph remarked as they stood outside the house in the Upper Ring. “Maybe we should wait to see if she comes back.”

“We can’t wait! Katara’s in danger—I _know_ it. She’s trapped somewhere!”

“But trapped _where_?” Sokka said exasperatedly.

“Underground? I think?”

“Can you be a little more specific?”

Aang groaned, leaning his head into a wall. “I know what I saw! It was _real_.”

“She was supposed to be meeting with the Earth King,” Sokka pointed out. “Maybe we should go to the palace, and see if she is there— _or_ , if someone knows where she is.”

* * *

Katara bent a narrow path for them devoid of the sewer water while they walked single file behind Smellerbee. She held the crystal above her head every now and then, stopping to try to read the markings on the walls.

“Isn’t this by that bitchy seamstress?” Jet asked while Jin tsked.

“If you weren’t so smart with her, she’d like you better.”

“Well, she likes _Li,_ ” Jet said dryly, and Katara nearly dropped the filthy water on them trying to stifle her laugh.

“ _That was one time_!”

“Do I want to know?” Katara asked, looking vaguely in Jet’s direction.

“Oh, it was pretty funny. Jin and I went in while Li was working, and this old woman in the corner kept trying to pinch his cheek and invite him over for dinner—”

“Okay, shut up! We need to get out here,” Smellerbee said. Qing yelped as he rammed into her. Katara watched as the dark figure holding the dim green light moved toward the wall and started climbing.

“Wait, are you kidding me? We’re at _Chen’s_?”

“You would rather exit in the middle of the market?”

Zuko grumbled under his breath, but followed after Smellerbee and Qing. By the time it sounded like he had made it to the wall, new light spilled from above as Smellerbee slid open the manhole cover.

In the new light, Katara could make out Jin, and then Jet; she was last, only letting the water rush back once she’d found the grimy footholds in the wall.

Jet pulled her up, and for the first time, she felt she could see them all properly. Above, the sky was a gradient of orange and pink, and the lanterns were already lit on the main street. They had popped up on a narrow alley flanked by uneven, misshaped apartments.

“Katara, do you have any way of contacting the Avatar?” Jet asked her suddenly. Jin was beckoning them toward a building with boarded up windows and random debris piled up next to the door. “If you can do that, then I can send word out to the others, and we can drive the Fire Nation out, together.”

“Jet, _no_ ,” Zuko hissed. “And absolutely not! Look—the neighbors already see us—”

“ _Get inside_ , Li,” Smellerbee said, pushing him through the door. Glancing up toward the lit windows overlooking the street, Katara hastily followed.

“Who are the others?” Katara asked as soon as they were inside. It was a musty space that looked like it had once been a restaurant, or a bar. However, a few bedrolls littered the floor, as well as heaps of clothes and quite a few bags of rice. “Are the other Freedom Fighters here somewhere?”

Jet winced. “No. It’s just me, Smellerbee, and Longshot now. We came here for a new start. I met Li here on the ferry, and when he got a job at Pao’s, he met Jin. Jin introduced us to her friends.” Jet leaned forward slightly, his dark eyes almost glittering in the dusty light filtering in through the boarded windows. “They’re part of the Labor Liberation Party.”

“The Dai Li calls us anarchists,” Jin explained brightly, “but it’s not that at all. You can probably see that the Dai Li’s control of Ba Sing Se is detrimental to the livelihoods of those of us stuck in the Lower Ring. We can’t speak freely, meet freely, or even create freely. Not only that, but the cost of living is too high, and with the constant influx of refugees from all over the Earth Kingdom every day, resources aren’t being distributed to those that really need them.”

“Oh.” Katara paused, considering. “That’s good. I noticed that the rules were very...oppressive.”

“Jet, you can’t use a bunch of political philosophers to fight armed combatants,” Zuko said. “If you’re going to run to them, tell them to get out now. There’s no way they can fight.”

“There’s too many people to evacuate at once,” Jet argued. “At least we have numbers!”

“There’s only, like, thirty people that constantly show up at meetings—”

“What, you think the rest of the Lower Ring isn’t going to _fight_?”

“They’re literally here because they chose to run in the first place!”

“Boys, please.” Jin stepped between them. “You both have valid points.”

“We need to let people know what’s happening regardless,” Smellerbee said. “They’ll make their own choice anyway.”

“Katara, were you saying you could contact the Avatar? That would really help,” Jet said. Katara glanced toward Zuko, who was staring pointedly into a corner.

“I don’t know. He left a week ago to study with a Guru at the Eastern Air Temple.”

Jet deflated. “Is that far away?”

“It’s hundreds of miles away,” Zuko said flatly. “Even if she managed to send a message, it wouldn’t reach him in time.”

“Well, then we need to take out the royal ashmakers before their armies land,” Jet said, his tone resolute. “Jin, Qing—see if you can find Ru and a few more Earthbenders, and get them up to the palace. Me, Smellerbee, and Longshot will go in first. Li, Katara—we’ll need you close behind—”

“ _No_. If anyone is going, it’s me, and the rest of you are staying _out_.”

Katara bristled. “Absolutely not! How can we trust you?” While Zuko spluttered, Katara turned toward Jet. “You need to know—his real name isn’t Li— _”_

__

“Shut the _fuck up,_ now is not the time for this—”

“Now is exactly the time for this! He is Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, and the princess is his sister, and the prince is his cousin. He’s been chasing us, trying to capture Aang, for _months_. He probably just wants everyone to evacuate so he doesn’t have to fight his family.”

“I want to help y—”

Jet’s response was immediate. Zuko was cut off as Jet suddenly lunged at him, pinning him up against a counter, a hand latched around his throat.

“Jet! Stop!” Jin cried, trying fruitlessly to pry them apart.

“Jet, let go of him!” Smellerbee commanded. After a second, Jet let go, and Zuko scrambled away, massaging his neck.

“ _What the fuck—_ ”

“You _liar—_ and to think we risked our lives for you— _I trusted you—_ ”

“We don’t have time for this,” Smellerbee seethed. “Li—Suki—whoever you are, are you with us or not?”

For a beat, Zuko looked toward each of them, still hunched over on the floor.

“I’m with you,” he said finally, “but I’m _not_ with _her_.”

He pointed at Katara.

“ _What_?”

“She’s with us,” Jet said icily. “If you’re not with her, you’re not with us. And if you’re not with us...I can’t think of a reason to spare you life right now.”

“I will help you protect Ba Sing Se,” Zuko went on, “and I will fight by your side. But I will _not_ side with the Avatar.”

“What, you don’t think the Avatar would side with protecting the city from the Fire Nation?” Katara felt hysterical. “How can you even— _how are you so stupid—_ you just went on about how you couldn’t betray your country earlier, and how is _this_ still loyalty but the _Avatar_ isn’t—”

“The Avatar created the Dai Li in the first place! Look how that turned out!”

“That wasn’t— _that wasn’t Aang—_ ”

Jet drew his hooked swords. “This ends _now_.”

“No!” Jin leapt in front of Zuko, tears streaming down her face. “I knew he was a Firebender the whole time, and I didn’t—I didn’t say anything—”

“Get out of the way, Jin—”

“Jet, stop,” Katara ordered. “We can’t trust him, but we can’t kill him, either.”

“What’s stopping us?”

“Enough of this! Jin, take Li with you to Ru’s; Qing, go get the other Earthbenders; the rest of us are going up to the palace, _now_.” Smellerbee said, gently nudging Jet back. She looked over to Jin. “We’ll meet you back at Ru’s later.”

Smellerbee kept pushing Jet toward the door again until he growled in frustration, sending one last glare at Zuko. Katara followed soon after, looking one last time at him as Jin helped him up from the floor, sniffing.

“How can we send him to Ru’s with only Jin?” Jet hissed under his breath, mostly toward Smellerbee.

“Well, we can’t trust _you_ to do it,” Smellerbee said. “And it’s just a few blocks away. It’s a risk we’ll have to take.”

* * *

Azula was a teenager, but Lu Ten was an adult. A very tall, very strong, _very clever_ adult. Of course, Aang figured, strength and intelligence were important attributes to Fire Nation nobles, and had been for centuries before he’d been born. And while Azula was certainly very prodigious and powerful herself, there was something unnerving about seeing Prince Lu Ten across from him instead of her.

Toph had told him once about the Dragon of the West. He was a ferocious general, and had nearly conquered Ba Sing Se years ago. Recently—only months ago—he had ascended the Dragon Throne. Fire Lord Iroh was rightfully one of the most feared men in the world, and his beloved son was following closely—and knowingly—in his footsteps.

Azula was Katara’s age. She wore makeup to make her look older, and she was deadly, but she was also a teenage girl, hanging out with her two (equally deadly) teenage friends, seemingly under the watch of her cousin.

She did not move from her place on the Earth Kingdom throne where she lounged beside her friends. Lu Ten, however, stood, smiling in a way that didn’t meet his eyes, his long hair in a single braid down his back, dressed in deep emeralds and golds.

Aang gripped his glider tighter. On either side of him, Sokka and Toph shifted uneasily.

“Avatar Aang, and friends,” Lu Ten said smoothly. “Welcome. You’re just in time to witness the liberation of Ba Sing Se.”

“Where’s Katara?”

“That Water Tribe peasant?” Azula perked up in her seat. “My, my. Have you no concern for your Earth King?”

“Now, Cousin,” Lu Ten pretended to chide her. “You cannot fault Avatar Aang for falling victim to young love.”

“Pfft. You sound like _Uncle_.”

“Tell us where she is now!” Sokka demanded. Azula laughed.

In the next moment, a dozen Dai Li descended from the ceiling.

* * *

It was dark by the time they made it to the palace. Their cover was nearly blown the moment that Qing appeared, breathless, alongside a broad young man and an older woman.

“There’s more coming,” he managed to grit out. “But—”

“Perfect,” Jet cut him off. “Can you Earthbend us up those walls, like you did the other week?”

Before Qing could answer, the older woman suddenly shifted her stance, and the block of earth they all stood on launched forward and upward. Katara gasped, falling to her knees with her palms to the earth, as they rushed up the side of the palace, the night air in her hair.

They leapt off the makeshift platform once they were at the top. They hadn’t made it in unnoticed, however, and were suddenly swarmed with a few guards—though, noticeably less that usual. Katara drew out a stream of water from her waterskin while Jet and Smellerbee launched themselves over rock barriers to attack their opponents personally. Longshot took over behind the Earthbenders, pinning the clothes a few to pillars with his arrows.

The commotion drew out the Dai Li next as they forced their way into the palace.

When at last they made it to the throne room doors, a barrage of orange and blue flames pushed them back. Katara met it with a wave of water, quickly evaporating most of her weapon. Through the steam, Azula and Lu Ten walked calmly forward; for a second, the fighting ceased.

“Ah, if it isn’t Katara of the Water Tribe,” Lu Ten said pleasantly. Katara shuddered. “Cousin, hadn’t you shown our guest her accommodations in Old Ba Sing Se?”

Azula’s lips twitched, but her smirk remained painted on her face. “I had,” she answered, her fists re-igniting. “You didn’t enjoy hanging out with dear Zuzu, did you?”

“I’d rather hang out with him than _you_.”

“Well, you know what they say—like-company, and all.”

Azula suddenly spun into the air, and sent a wall of flames down at Katara from her kick. The action forced Katara back into Jet, who tried to pull her out of the way.

A wall of earth suddenly sprang up in front of her. Katara glanced to her left and realized Qing and leapt into action. The young man and the older woman took similar positions, bracing themselves as they were hit with more fire. Qing’s wall eventually crumbled under the intense heat and force, knocking him into the floor. Jet rushed forward, swinging his hooked swords expertly, as Katara reached around desperately for more water.

As she pulled it from vases decorating the entryway, Azula’s acrobat ally joined the fray. In an instant, the young man was immobilized; the older woman realized what had happened to her comrade too late, and lost use of her right arm with a few quick jabs.

Katara was about to freeze the acrobat in place with she felt herself slammed into a wall. It took her a second to realize that four precisely thrown knives had pinned her there, much in the way that Longshot did with his arrows. Azula’s companion in dark robes appeared, blocking her view of Jet’s fight with Azula.

She heard him yell out, and Azula laugh.

“It’s over for you and your little friends,” the girl said, her pale face eerily devoid of emotion. “The Avatar and the Earth King have already been taken care of.”

“Liar,” Katara snarled. “Aang isn’t even in the city.”

“Oh, but he is,” she said, stepping closer. “He came back earlier, looking for you.”

“ _No_.”

There was a clatter of metal on the floor, and someone shouted Smellerbee’s name. Qing grunted, falling to the ground as the acrobat chi-blocked him. On the opposite wall, a few Dai Li agents had been pinned with arrows, but Longshot was nowhere to be seen.

Jet screamed. Something burned.

“We’ll never stop fighting you,” Katara declared, though her heart was pounding and her stomach was twisting. The girl tilted her head curiously. She took her time replying.

“We’ll never stop beating you.”

* * *

Toph groaned beside him somewhere in the dark. But, even floors below the palace, Aang could hear it.

“There’s something happening upstairs.”

Someone was screaming.

“Do you think—?”

Sokka stood suddenly, careful to step away from Toph.

“ _Katara_.”

* * *

Katara’s hands were bound behind her, and she was thrown before Azula and Lu Ten. She was between a paralyzed Qing and the woman; Jet was silent, and still, at the end of their row. Smellerbee was breathing raggedly, and Longshot was trying not to curl up, his face heavily pained.

“We’ll take the Waterbender home, of course,” Azula was saying conversationally to her cousin, who was nodding considerately. “Uncle will be most fascinated. The Southern Waterbenders are supposed to be extinct, anyway.”

“Of course,” he agreed.

“But the others,” Azula said, trailing off with a wave of her hand. “I’m sure the Dai Li will know what to do with them. Supposedly, they’re part of that anarchist cell Long Feng was carrying on about.”

“Hmm.” Lu Ten stroked his chin. “Yes, I was reviewing the records. It appears that your brother might also have been involved.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. I’m sure it will hardly make a difference in his sentence, but,” he paused, his gaze falling onto Jet’s form. “well. You know how my father is; he’s always had a soft spot for him.”

Azula hummed, her gaze lingering on Jet, too, before meeting Katara’s eyes. She stalked over like a predator, eyes alight.

“You saw dear Zuzu last,” she drawled. “Tell me where he is, and I can assure your stay in the Fire Nation is...pleasant.”

Katara considered. She truly considered.

But Jin, though she’d known her for only a couple of hours, was a sweet girl; and Ru was some innocent Earthbender somewhere in the Lower Ring.

And— _really—_ if she had to help either Azula or Zuko, the choice was obvious.

“I don’t know,” she said. “We split up.”

Azula’s eyes flashed.

“Oh. You know _something_ , though, don’t you, peasant?”

Katara cried out as Azula snatched a handful of hair in one hand, and ignited her other hand dangerously close to her cheek.

“Let’s try again. Where is my brother?”

* * *

“Toph, come on,” Sokka pleaded gently, tears pooling in his eyes. “Just—just a _little_ metalbending. That’s all we need right now.”

“M’sorry,” she mumbled. Her little hands shook, reaching toward the cell wall. Even in the dark, Aang could see the way Sokka’s eyes tried to pour into his. Toph curled slightly into him before letting out a long moan.

“Aang, seriously, any progress?”

“I don’t know how she did it!” Aang cried, blinking quickly. He pressed his hands against the metal, searching for something. _Anything_.

“ _Aang—_ ”

“I’m _trying_!”

* * *

The palace shuddered. Azula and Lu Ten both stumbled back, nearly losing their balance. Katara looked up as someone blasted through the wall.

* * *

“ _What was that?_ ”

* * *

“Nice of you to join us, Cousin.”

Katara craned her head around to see Zuko there, a sword in each hand, aflame. Beside him was Jin, and about a dozen or so other people she didn’t recognize.

“I’m warning you now,” he said, stepping slowly over the rubble toward the other two Firebenders. “ _Get the fuck out of here_ , or else.”

“Or else what?” Azula sneered. “You never had it in you—the skill, or the drive.”

“I don’t want to, but I _will_.”

“Zuko, enough of this. Your sister is very clever; this could be a bloodless victory for the Fire Nation. Surely you’ve seen yourself how these people live? Under our guidance, Ba Sing Se’s glory will be realized.”

“You’re right, that it’s pretty fucked up here,” Zuko said, “but what Ba Sing Se needs isn’t a foreign ruler. What they need is to get rid of the Dai Li, eliminate the Inner Walls, set up rent controls—”

“ _Agni_ , he really did join some anarchist cult, didn’t he?” Azula said loudly to Lu Ten, rolling her eyes

“It’s not anarchist—”

“Do you want to go home, Zuko?” Lu Ten asked suddenly. Zuko struggled to speak for a moment.

“I— _of course—_ but you can’t—”

“If you want to go home,” Lu Ten said over Zuko’s spluttering, “then drop your weapons, and call your... _friends_ off.”

For a moment, there was silence.

“Don’t listen to them, Zuko,” Katara begged, her voice hoarse. “They’re lying!”

“Shut your mouth, Water whore,” Azula said, kicking her. Katara felt blood in her mouth. “Zuko, if you help us now, I’m sure we can put in a good word for you. We can’t erase your past crimes, of course, but Uncle _loves_ you. I’m sure he wouldn’t let his precious nephew rot in jail.”

Katara heard her blood rushing in her head. She was slowly losing feeling in her hands.

“Let them go, and I’ll go with you.”

“Zuko, _no—_ ”

“ _Quiet!_ ”

“Let _all of them_ go,” Zuko repeated, his voice steadier, but still cracked.

“They have Aang! THEY HAVE AA—”

Her chin was wet. There was a metallic taste in her mouth. Hot liquid pooled in front of her, on the ground.

Azula walked away from her. She watched, her vision slightly blurring, but she kept her head bowed.

“You have the Avatar here?”

“No, Cousin.”

Lu Ten was all deep, velvety furs, curled up around you so tight until you choked; sugar-water, honey, the little white flowers that bobbed in the breeze, and stopped the blood in your veins.

“Why does she think the Avatar is here, then? She told me hours ago that he _wasn’t_. What’s changed?”

“She’s trying to turn you against us. She’s just a Water savage, Zuzu—we’re _family_. Who are you going to believe?”

Zuko stepped forward. Or Jin stepped forward. Or all of them stepped forward.

Rubble crumbled under their feet, dry and brittle.

“My family,” Zuko mused, his voice raspier than usual, like it was being pulled taut. “My family wants me to believe _them_ , when they’ve never believed _me_.” He paused. “My family, that sent me out for _three years_ , with nothing but what I could carry on my back— _three years_ , to hunt a _myth_. And you _laughed_.”

“That was Grandfather’s order,” Lu Ten said. His voice had shifted—tense, the steel beneath it all. “My father condemned his decision. Your father was out of line. It was beyond my say, Cousin; I am truly sorry.”

“I was never a traitor, you know,” he said. “Everything I did—everything I said—it was for our _people_.”

“Of course, Zuko.”

“And what have you done, for our people?”

Katara reached. She _reached and reached and reached_.

“We’ve done more than you could ever dream,” Azula snapped, rising to the bait. “Here we have the gem of the Earth Kingdom—and what have _you_ done? You have _burned_ for them, and it was for _nothing_ —”

_Push_. _And Pull_.

“It’s better than burning innocent people—”

“Innocent? That’s rich, considering your little _friend_ came in here, armed, with the intent to _kill—_ ”

Katara yelled, snapping her binds at once with blades of red. Azula, Lu Ten, and the nonbender girls were too stunned to react as Katara pushed herself up, sending a vibrant whip their way.

Her blood was joined by fire, and earth, and metal.

“ _TRAITOR!_ ”

* * *

“Come on Toph—just—just loosen this, here—”

“M’trying.”

Sokka and Aang met one another’s eyes in the dark, over Toph’s head.

“Toph _,_ ” Aang urged near her ear. “I know—I know everything’s awful now—but once we get to Katara—”

Toph took a shaky breath, her palm pressing gently against the wall.

“Once we get to Katara—”

There was a _crunch_ , and the metal dented.

* * *

Katara watched as Zuko beheaded a Dai Li agent, the blood speckling his already-soiled apron.

She reached for it, arming herself once again.

“ _You witch_!” Azula declared, bombarding her with blue fireballs. Katara felt a dull pleasure in seeing her flinch away from her bending.

Smellerbee had dragged Jet away to the wall, and the other Earthbenders had regained use of their limbs, for the most part. Longshot, his left arm trembling terribly, managed to pull back his bowstring enough to launch an arrow into Lu Ten’s shoulder.

He staggered back, but did not fall. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zuko hesitate.

Katara was not sure if Longshot had hit his target or not. She figured Zuko would not want to know.

In the next moment, Lu Ten reached for the arrow, and with a low grunt, ripped it out. Immediately, his flaming hand flew up to his shoulder, and he fell back against the wall.

Before Longshot could land another shot on him, a pillar of earth knocked him down. Smellerbee cried out his name; Qing ran to his side.

Katara crafted a spear of red ice, and hurled it into flesh.

* * *

“Come on, Toph, just a _little_ bit more—”

“Aang, is there any way you can just finish it?”

“I—” Aang cut himself off with a steady breath. “I _think_ I know how she’s doing it.”

* * *

Something exploded underneath them. Katara fell to her knees; nearby, Zuko stumbled into the side of a table, dropping one of his weapons.

“What was _that_?”

Jin was between them, a dagger in one hand, a broken vase in the other.

Katara wiped away the blood that dribbled down her chin with her sleeve and grinned.

“It’s gotta be Aang.”

* * *

Aang got into his best Earthbending stance to open up the ceiling. Sokka held Toph to his chest, watching warily.

“You sure about this?”

Sokka shielded Toph’s head instinctively even though the rubble parted easily around them. If there were a few uniformed bodies that fell past them, he said nothing.

* * *

Katara was so happy that she nearly cried then and there, surrounded by debris and the wounded and the dead—for there was Aang, the world’s last hope, erupting through the floor on a pillar of earth, her brother and her friend at his side.

Aang’s eyes found hers easily, but they took in everything. He was not so happy he could cry.

Whatever he was, Zuko gasped sharply, and the palace was flooded in white light.

“We need to get out of here,” he said. He was trying to pull her away.

“No—no, Aang won’t hurt us,” Katara insisted. “I have to stay with him.”

“He’s not— _that’s not your Aang—_ that’s the Avatar Spirit—we have to _go—_ ”

“That’s the Avatar?” Jin whispered in awe.

A few Dai Li scrambled out of the way.

Across the room, Azula stood her ground, and aimed her fingers toward the most powerful being in the world.

* * *

Someone screamed.

Aang did not know who screamed.

But there was light, splitting him apart; there was fire; and there was screaming.

* * *

Katara’s throat was raw, her blood burning in her, as she rushed to catch a boy in her arms.

“We have to go now—”

Sokka was there. She could hardly see—there was so much water in her eyes—she flicked it away, but there was more, and her breathing hitched, and something was shattered deep within her—

“Katara, _come on!_ ”

Sokka was pushing her toward the grand stairs, past the scene of a battle.

She tried to look back.

“ _Katara_!”

It was Smellerbee, Jet’s weight nearly crushing her.

“I—we have to— _we have to go—_ ”

Azula let out a blood-curdling cry, and Katara nearly stopped on instinct.

“Don’t look back,” her brother said, for a second their eyes locking. “Don’t look back—”

* * *

Sokka didn’t let go of Toph, even as he fumbled for Aang’s whistle while his sister sobbed into his shoulder. They had never replaced Appa’s saddle, so it wasn’t as if he had much of a choice, anyway.

They all clung to his fur—his sister, himself, Smellerbee, and some people he didn’t know, that seemed to know Katara. They were bruised and tired and silent.

There was a kid—Qing, apparently—and someone called Ru, and someone called Xinya.

“Where’s Jin and Li?” someone asked as dawn slowly crept up the sky. Their voice was almost lost on the wind.

“We’ll mark a stone for ‘em,” someone replied.

“And Longshot.” Smellerbee’s voice.

“And Longshot.”

He dared to glance back at his sister. She had tossed away the Spirit Water vial as they passed over the Outer Wall, after she’d emptied it into Aang’s gaping wound.

* * *

Only after they’d landed in Chameleon Bay, and Katara had seen to Toph’s injuries and Aang’s thrice over, did she explain what had happened. She told him about the crystal caverns beneath the city—likely, the strange place Aang had seen in his vision—and how Jet and some random teenagers had shown up to rescue Zuko. Sokka explained how he and Aang came across Toph and rushed back to the city, only to be defeated by Lu Ten and Azula, and then imprisoned. No one knew where the Earth King was; Sokka suspected he was either hidden somewhere nobody would find him, or he’d been executed.

“What do we do now?” she asked him.

Sokka sighed. “I don’t know. I thought we had a chance with the eclipse, but now...I don’t know. We need _time_.”

“I don’t know when Aang will get better.” She sniffed. “Toph will be fine in a few days. I haven’t even gotten a good look at Jet—but Smellerbee knows how to look after burns, so—”

“Katara, _stop_. You’re exhausted. You need to take care of yourself first before you try to save everyone.”

She wiped something away from her eye. “...I know. But—”

“But _nothing_. Go back to your tent. _Rest_. I’ll come wake you up when Bato gets lunch going.”

Katara stood, about to walk away.

“Sokka?”

“Yeah?”

She opened her mouth, but ended up shaking her head. “Forget it.”

“Katara?”

“Just—never mind.”

* * *

The first thing Longshot knew was that he was _cold_.

He was being rocked, and he was cold. It stung his nose and chapped his lips, and when he opened his eyes, he could see his breath.

“ _Thank Agni_.”

“Longshot?”

Gentle, warm hands brushed away a few strands of hair from his face. He looked up to see none other than Jin, all soft eyes and a soft smile. Jet liked to say that it was her secret weapon—that she could be all sweet, and worm her way into any mind, any heart. That was how she got him, anyway, and how they ended up in random cellars, crowded with dozens of others, discussing the finer points of a theoretical revolution.

“Give him some space, Jin.”

The other voice was rough and instantly recognizable. He didn’t need to sit up to know that Li was there, somewhere.

“I am,” she said petulantly. She bent over suddenly, holding something up to his face. “Do you want something to drink? I have some rolls, too, if you want.”

Longshot nodded ever-so-slightly toward what must have been a canteen, and Jin beamed in approval. Delicately, she lifted his head with one hand, and offered him the water with another.

Suddenly, everything rocked much more severely than usual. Jin frowned, looking toward Li.

“A storm,” was his gruff answer. “We’ll have to ride through it, unless some land magically appears.”

There was a rush of _something_ , and then a metal door shut.

“We’re going to the Northern Water Tribe,” Jin explained. “We’re going to try to find the next Avatar...or, well...”

Jin sighed, her cheery demeanor fading quickly.

“There’s a chance that Azula destroyed the Avatar cycle completely,” came Li’s voice. After a moment, he appeared beside Jin, wrapped in a dark fur coat. “If that’s the case, I’m pretty sure there's some sort of Spirit Gate there, or something. There’s this... _garden_?”

Jin raised her eyebrow skeptically at Li, and then looked back to Longshot. “They have Healers, too,” she said.

“Yeah,” Li agreed. “And that.”

Longshot closed his eyes, thinking. He couldn’t remember much of the battle at all. He remembered Qing trying to lead him to safety, and Smellerbee’s agonized cries. He remembered Jet crumpling in pain.

When he opened his eyes again, Jin looked down on him knowingly.

She was just... _like that_ , sometimes.

“Smellerbee and Jet left with the Avatar’s bison,” she assured him. “But we don’t know where they went. They’re probably in hiding.”

“They might be looking for the next Avatar, too,” Li mused. “If that’s the case, we might meet them there.”

“Maybe.”

Jin’s eyes _sparkled_.

Li was so dull beside her.

“Once you’re better, we’ll find them, don’t you worry,” Jin promised. She turned to Li, who regarded her with his semi-permanent scowl. “Isn’t this exciting? I’ve never been on a—on an _adventure_ like this!”

Li rolled his eyes, but even where he was, Longshot could see the way his face softened just a _little_.

(No one was immune.)

“I guess you could call it that.”

**Author's Note:**

> hey so uh. idk if you can tell the direction this is going at the end there but this is definitely the prologue of this wild idea i have where jin becomes the chaos avatar but like
> 
> not sure when i will have the energy to write all the rest of that. if you like this concept and have the energy to write, i would love to see more avatar jin things, or activist/political jin things, or jinko, or jinko friendship


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